as in extramarital
relating to or being a sexual encounter or relationship between a married person and someone other than their spouse
had an adulterous affair that nearly destroyed his marriage
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Recent Examples of adulterous
As with the true story of the adulterous writers, there’s something at the center of The Disappear that feels cringily solipsistic.
—
Sara Holdren, Vulture, 19 Jan. 2026
The adulterous state attorney general from Texas, Ken Paxton, survived an impeachment vote in 2023 over bribery and abuse of office and is now running for the U.S. Senate.
—Brandon Rottinghaus, Washington Post, 7 Jan. 2026
In the months since the incident unfolded at Gillette Stadium, the public — which was quick to discover that Cabot worked as an HR executive under Byron, and that both were married to other people at the time — has been quick to brand the pair as adulterous villains.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 18 Dec. 2025
But with a twist so big — Sarah being the killer of her adulterous husband Adam’s mistress, Kelly Summers, and the one who set him up for the murder while simultaneously defending him tooth and nail in court — where was Rose to go after that?
—Jennifer Maas, Variety, 29 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for adulterous
Sara Holdren, Vulture, 19 Jan. 2026
The adulterous state attorney general from Texas, Ken Paxton, survived an impeachment vote in 2023 over bribery and abuse of office and is now running for the U.S. Senate.
—Brandon Rottinghaus, Washington Post, 7 Jan. 2026
In the months since the incident unfolded at Gillette Stadium, the public — which was quick to discover that Cabot worked as an HR executive under Byron, and that both were married to other people at the time — has been quick to brand the pair as adulterous villains.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 18 Dec. 2025
But with a twist so big — Sarah being the killer of her adulterous husband Adam’s mistress, Kelly Summers, and the one who set him up for the murder while simultaneously defending him tooth and nail in court — where was Rose to go after that?
—Jennifer Maas, Variety, 29 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for adulterous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for adulterous
Adjective
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Gonzales resigned shortly after, denying wrongdoing after the San Antonio Express-News revealed his extramarital relationship with a staffer who died by suicide in 2025.—
Joseph Konig,
PEOPLE,
22 Apr. 2026
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In 2023, French outlet Voici claimed Millepied had an extramarital affair with a climate activist.—
Emily St. Martin,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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How do teachers carry on teaching, lecturing, checking homework and having students prepare for assessments, and how do students enjoy the pleasures that extracurricular activities bring?—
Jerald McNair,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Apr. 2026
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There’s been a long acceptance of congressmen’s extracurricular activities.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
19 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Adulterous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adulterous. Accessed 28 Apr. 2026.
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